Wolf sightings on rise in Oregon Cascades

View full sizeODFWA gray wolf from Idaho spotted in northeastern Oregon in 2008. Wolf sightings are on the rise in the central Oregon Cascades.GRANTS PASS -- Wolves that have moved into Oregon from Idaho appear to be extending their range west, with recent sightings in the southern Cascades and the Ochoco Mountains.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist John Stevenson says the reports of sightings and tracks have been growing since last January, when a photo was taken along U.S. Highway 20 near Suttle Lake.

In December tracks were spotted in the southern Ochoco Mountains and near Wikiup Reservoir in the Cascades.

Stevenson says it is not confirmed these are wolves, but the tracks and sightings appear credible.

Wolves were hunted out of existence in Oregon in the early 20th century, but have moved back into the state from Idaho, where packs were re-established in the 1990s.